Spray coating apparatus



Filed Sept. 9, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 95 v, w a? m Jan. 25, 1938. A w, ENAUGLER 2,106,187

SPRAY COATING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 9, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 25, 1938 PATENT OFFICE SPRAY coumc APPARATUS Walter E. Naugler, Beverly, Mass assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Paterson, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey 1 Application September 9, 1936, Serial No. 99,991

14 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for coating articles by means of a spray gun and is herein illustrated as embodied in an apparatus designed particularly for use'in applying a spray to shoe parts.

In the manufacture of shoes, and especially during the lasting of the shoes, it is sometimes found desirable to hold the overlasted upper in position, for example, upon the insole, by means of an adhesive such as water-dispersed latex. Conveniently, this latex is applied by means of a spray gun because, in so doing, it is evenly distributed on the margin of the upper which is to be coated or on the margin of the insole and may be applied in small quantities which will dry quickly, thus facilitating the completion of the lasting operation.

During the'application of a-spray coating to an article, it is difiicult to confine the spray to the a article to be coated without having some portion of it disseminated through the air of the room.

This difficulty has, however, been successfully overcome in the apparatus shown in Letters Patent of the United States No. 2,040,758, granted May 12, 1936, on my application on a spray collector designed for use in connection with a spray gun mounted in fixed position on a separate stand and adapted to be treadle operated. Having positioned the spray collector in the desired relation to the stand supporting the spray gun, the operator holdes a pieceof work, such as a shoe, in both hands and moves it in front of the spray gun which he operates by means of a treadle.-

To suit the convenience of various operators, it is desirable to be able to change the direction in which the spray gun is pointed by moving it,

sometimes from side to side and sometimes vertically. Accordingly, an object of the present invention isto provide an improved spray-coating apparatus embodying a supporting arrangement for a treadle-controlled spray gun in which the position of the gun may be readily adjusted without disturbing the operating connection to the treadle.

One featureof the invention resides, in an apparatus of this type, in an adjustable support for a jointed arm mounted directly on the hood, the

operating connections for the gun being pivotally supported on the jointed arm in a manner which secures the desired result.

Still other features of the invention-reside in an improved arrangement of the spray hood with its electric fan and its filter cloth. In the illustrated arrangement, a supply roll of this cloth is mounted on the spray hood and carried through a slit at the top of the hood, down across the air passage and out through a larger slit at the bottom of the hood. A removable member .is provided to 'close a part of the larger slit and, when this member is moved aside, the coated cloth may readily be drawn through the slit,'thus avoiding the sticking which would result if the slit were narrow.

With an arrangement of this kind, in which the gun occupies a fixed angular position with respect to the filter cloth, the major portion of the unused spray is collected in a restricted area or spot thereon, thus making it necessary to change the position of the filter cloth more frequently than would be necessary if it were more uniformly distributed. For this reason, in accordance with another feature of the invention, there is associated with the filter a readily movable metal baflle plate which covers that section of the filter where the latex collects most rapidly. From this baflie plate, the collected latex may be. removed in a film at intervals and the frequency with which the filter needs to be changed is reduced. This baffle plate has an angular portion which is useful not only for supporting the baflle plate in position but which also may be utilized as described above to close a portion of the outgoing slit when the baflie is positioned in front of the filter cloth.

These and other features of the invention are described in the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is an angular view of the complete apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation with parts broken away to show the air passage and the fan; Fig. 3 is a detail, in elevation, of the gun support;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the same, and

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the gun and its support.

In order that latex or the like may be sprayed on small, readily portable articles without scattering the spray about the room, this apparatus includes a spray-collecting hood in mounted on a stand l2 and provides an air passage in which are positioned a filter cloth l4 and a fan l6. The necessity of picking up the spray gun every time that a piece of work is to be coated is avoided here by supporting the gun on the stand in front of the filter by an adjustable-hollow arm 22 which depends from the, top of the hood I0. Associated with this arm is part of a connection between a treadle 24 and the valves of the spray gun, thus enabling the operator to turn the spray on and then off by operating the treadle 24 while he uses both hands to support the work in the path of the spray. This will be later explained. The treadle connections are so arranged in the arm that they are not disturbed by adjustment of the spray gun to various positions with respect to the hood.

As shown in Fig. 1, the stand I2 is fabricated of strips of angle iron and the hood I0, secured by welding or fasteners to this stand, comprises an angle-iron, open frame 30, filled in with sheets of metal attached in any desired fashion thereto. These include a top sheet 3| (Fig. 2), a bottom sheet 33 and side sheets 35. At the rear of the hood I0 beneath an opening providing an exhaust passage 32 is attached a sheet-metal duct 34 closed at the bottom and delivering through an opening in its front side to a deflector 36. The opening between the duct 34 and the deflector 36 is defined by a flange 38 on which is supported the electric fan I6 by means of wires 40. A cover plate 42 gives access to this fan for lubrication and cleaning. The portion of the deflector 36 which is attached to the duct 34 is square so that, by loosening the four attaching bolts 44, the deflector may be turned toward either side instead of downwardly, if that is more convenient, it being understood that the movement of air produced by the fan I6 is into the hood I0 and out through the duct 34 and the deflector 36, as shown by arrows in Fig. 2.

Surplus spray which does not impinge on the ried through a slit 58 at the top of the hood,-

down transversely of the hood in front of a supporting grating 60 and out through a slit 62 at the bottom of the hood just in front of the duct 34. It will be evident that the pressure of the air being sucked through this screen draws the filter cloth into contact with the grating 60 which supports it substantially in a plane surface across the air passage of the hood. The position of the gun,'having been once determined to meet the wishes of the operator, will be maintained for a considerable period of time. As a result, the surplus spray will be directed at a small area, usually near the lower portion of the filter I4. This fact would render it necessary to renew the screen frequently, pulling the surplus material 64 down through the slit 62 and cutting it ofi. To make the apparatus'more emcient, however, I have provided the baflle plate 50 which has a substantially semi-circular portion 66 covering the area where the greatest amount of ma.-

terial would be collected. This semi-circular portion 66 is joined to a laterally extending portion 68 which is bent to form a horizontal portion 10 resting on the bottom of the hood and supporting the baflle. The accumulation of latex on the cloth screen I4 makes it desirable to have the slit 62 large enough so that the thickened layer of latex on the cloth will not prevent easy downward movement of the screen when it is to be renewed. Since such a large slit, uncovered, would be inconvenient and ineflicient, the arrangement has been made such that the baflle 50 may be moved into a position in which its horizontal portion 10 will cover a portion of the slit, its laterally extending portion 68 being pressed into the corner between the filter I4 and the bottom of the hood. A handle 12 having the general shape of a drawer pull has been provided on the baflle 50 in order to enable the operator to readily pick up the baffie and remove it for cleaning. The latex does not adhere tightly to the metal sheet of the baflie and may readily be stripped therefrom in large pieces when it becomes desirable to clean it at infrequent intervals.

Fluid, such aslatex, is supplied to the spray gun from a cup 13 attached to the gun by means of a pipe 14. This cup issecured in fixed relation to a cage 16 in which there is mounted an inverted supply bottle 18, the cage being vertically adjustable on a rod 19 secured to the side of the hood.

The gun 20 may be of any convenient construction but as herein illustrated, comprises a body portion 80 (Fig. 3) having a removable tip 02 to which fluid is supplied through a passage 84 (Fig. 4) and air is supplied through a passage 86. The body of the gun also has a loop-like handle 88 extending outwardly therefrom at right angles to the plane of the passages 64 and 36. Air under pressure from any suitable source is led to the gun through a pipe 30 and the operation of the gun is controlled by a needle valve (not shown) in the fluid passage and connected to a valve-operating rod 32. Associated with this is a valve 94 connected to a rod (not shown) in the air passage, the two being in axial alinement. Actuation of these valves may be effected by a bell crank 36 taking the place of the ordinary trigger of the this bell crank being connected to the treadle 24 in a manner to be later described.

It being desirable that the operator should be able to position the gun substantially at any angle with respect to the hood I0, the gun support has pivotally joined sections. One of these sections, the arm 22, is adjustably connected at its upper end to a crossbar I00 attached to the top of the hood by means of screws I02 and I 04 which pass through the top sheet 3| and a plate MI. The crossbar I00 and the plate IOI grip the flange of the angle-iron frame at the right side of the rod. Formed integrally with this crossbar I00 is a laterally extending arm terminating in a ring I06 in which there is swiveled a tube I 03 held in position by a set screw II 0. Clamped on the lower end of this tube is a member having a split portion I I2 surrounding the tube and adjustably held thereon by the pinch screw H4, this member being provided with a depending arm H6 on which there is supported, by means of a horizontally extending pivot screw III, an arm I20 of the gun with respect to the arm 22, there is attached'to the lower end of the arm a member having a ,split clamp portion I26 and a laterally extending portion I28, this split clamp portion I26 the bell crank 86 and the rod I58 is substantially being secured to the arm by a pinch screw I30. A clamp arm I32 is pivotally attached to the lateral arm I28 by a pivot screw I34. The gun is held on this clamp arm I32 by a clamp plate I36 drawn into engagement with a bushed portion of the body by a screw I38. This clamp plate I36 is kept from turning by a dowel pin I40 and the positioning of the gun on the clamp arm I32 is facilitated by a dowel I42 extending into the eye of the loop 88. Another dowel pin I44 extends from the arm I32 into the body of the gun. By this ar-' rangement, the gun 20 is securely clamped on the arm I32 and it is possible to turn the gun to different angles with respect to the work by turning the arm I32 with respect to the arm I28, thus securing a movement of the gun in a vertical plane. It is also possible to twist the gun with respect to the arm 22 by loosening the pinch screw I30 thereby turning the split clamp I26 on the arm.

ates the valves of the gun and the treadle 24 are so arranged with respect to various pivot points of this adjustable gun support that no one of the various adjustments hereinbefore described will disturb the chain of connections extending along the arm 22, thus greatly facilitating adjustment of the position of the gun. Starting with the gun, it will be seen that this chain includes the bell crank 96 which is pivotally mounted on the arm I32 by a pin I50 held in the arm by a set screw I52. The other end of this bell crank has a pin I54 by'which this bell crank is attached to an eye I56 at the end of a rod I58 extending axially through the hollow arm 22 and terminating in a threaded portion I60. This threaded portion enters a tapped hole in a swivel pin I62 which is attached to the lower arm of a bell crank I64 which, in turn, is secured by ,a pivot screw I66 to the arm I20 of the support. At the other end of this bell crank is another swivel pin I68 in which is threaded the lower end of a vertical rod I extending up through the tube I08 and terminating in a right-angled portion I12 which pivots in a lever I14 secured by a set screw I16 to one end of a shaft I18. This shaft is journaled in ears I80 and I82 extending upwardly from the plate I00 and on the other end of the shaft is another lever arm I84 joined to a treadle rod I86. This rod- I86 extends downwardly and is joined by a clamp I88 (Fig. 2) to another rod portion I90 which is pivoted on an arm I92 attached to a cross shaft I94 journaled in the stand I2 and having secured to its other end the arm of the treadle 24. A spring I96 surrounding the rod bears one end on a collar I98 clamped to the rod and at the other end rests on a bracket 200 attached to the stand I2, thus tending always to urge the treadle rod I86 upwardly. I

In the illustrated at-rest position of the treadle, the swivel pin I68 is opposite the pivot screw II8 thus permitting up and down movement of the arm 22 without disturbing this connection. At the. same time, the vertical rod I10 coincides with the center of the tube I08 so that the arm 22 may be turned from side to side without substantially disturbing the threaded connection to the swivel pin I68. It will also be recognized that when the pinch screw I30 is loosened, for example, the spray gun may be twisted with respect to the axis of the arm 22 without disturbing to any substan- I tial extent the connection between the threaded portion I60 of the rod I58 and the swivel pin I62. At the outer end of the arm, the pivot I64 between ing it easy to adjust the arm I 32 with respect to the arm I28 without affecting the connections between the trigger bell crank 96 and the rest of the members which form the chain extending to the treadle 24. I

In the operation of the machine, having started the fan and adjusted the gun 20 to the desired position, the operator will hold the piece of work in line with the gun and depress the treadle 24 to spray. the latex on the work, whereupon compressed air will besupplied to the gun through the tube 80 and coating material, such as latex, supplied from the bottle 18 through the tube 14.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In combination, a stand, a spray gun on the stand having an operating member, a gun support having pivotally joined sections constructed and arranged to permit adjustment in a plurality of planes, said support extending between the stand and the spray gun to hold the latter in the desired position on the stand, and an operatorcontrolled member remote from the spray gun joined by a linkage to the operating member at the gun to actuate it, said linkage having a connecting portion associated with said support, said connecting portion being jointed in such relation 7 of the joints of the gun support.

.3. In combination, a stand, a spray gun supported thereon and having an operating member,

1a gun-supporting arm having a hollow portion swingably mounted in said stand, an operator- -controlled member, and connections from said member to the operating member of the gun comprising a jointed rod,one portion of which is substantially coaxial with said hollow arm portion. 4. In combination, a stand, a-spray gun carried thereby and having an operating member, an arm for adjustably supporting said spray gun on said stand comprising pivotally connected portions, an operator-controlled member, and connections between said member and the operating member of the gun comprising rods interconnected by means including a pivot pin to which one of said rods is rotatably secured substantially at right angles to the pin;

5. In combination, a stand, a spray gun carried thereby and having an operating member, an arm for adjustably supporting said spray gun on said stand comprising pivotally connected hollow portions, an operator-controlled member, and connections between said member andthe operating member of the gun comprising rods passing through said hollow connections, said rods being interconnected by means including a pivot pin to which one of said rods is rotatably secured substantially at right angles to the pin.

6. In combination, a stand, a spray gun carried thereby and having an operating member, an

, member and the operating member of the gun arm for adjustably supporting said spray gun on said stand comprising pivotally connected hollow portions, an operator-controlled member, and connections between said memberand the operating member of the gun comprising rods passing ried thereby and having an operating member, an

arm for adjustably supporting said spray gun on said stand comprising pivotally connected 'hollow portions, an operator-controlled member, and connections between said member and the operating member of the gun comprising rods passing through said hollow portions, said rods being interconnected by means including a pivot pin to which one of said rods is rotatably connected substantially at right angles to the pin and including a bell crank pivoted on one of said arms and pivotally joined to the respective rods.

8. In combination, a stand, a spray gun carried thereby and having an operating member, an arm for adjustably supporting said spray gun on said stand comprising pivotally connected hollow portions, an operator-controlled member, and connections between said member and the operating member of the gun comprising rods passing through said hollow portions, said rods being interconnected by means including a pivot pin in which one of said rods is threaded substantially at right angles to the pin and including a bell crank pivoted on one of said arms and pivotally joined to the respective rods, one of the joints between a rod and the bell crank having its axis substantially coincident with the axis of the joint between the hollow portions.

9. In combination, astand, a spray gun car ried by said stand and provided with an operating member, means for supporting the gun on the stand comprising a clamp arm secured to the gun and a support arm secured to the stand pivotally attached to said clamp arm, an operatorcontrolled member, and connections between said comprising a bell crank associated with said operating member and pivoted on the clamp arm and a rod associated with the support arm and joined to the other leg of the bell crank about an axis substantially coincident with the axis between the clamp arm and the support arm whereby adjustment of the clamp arm does not disturb the operativeness of the connections to the operatorcontrolled member.

10. In a spray-coating apparatus, a spray hood having an exhaust passage, a filter curtain extending across said passage, a spray gun having an operating member, a support arm swiveled in the hood and carrying said spray gun, a treadle mounted on the apparatus, and a jointed connecting rod between the treadle and the operating member of the gun, one portion of said connecting rod having its axis coincident with the axis of the swivel mounting of the gun-supporting arm.

11. In combination, a spray hood having an exhaust passage, a filter curtain, said hood having slits to permit the filter curtain to pass through the hood transversely of the passage, and readily movable means for partially closing that slit through which the filter is drawn after it has become coated.

12. In combination, a spray hood, a gun mounted in adjustably fixed position thereon, a filter in said spray hood, and a movable baffle positioned in front of the filter to cover that portion of the filter toward which the spray gun is pointed.

13. In combination, a spray hood having fiat sides provided with slits for the passage of a filter cloth,- and a removable baflle, plate having an angular portion which may be rested on one of said fiat sides adjacent to the outlet slit with the baflie covering a part of the filter.

14. In combination, a spray hood having a transverse filter to catch portions of the spray which are not applied to a piece of work, and a baiile plate associated with said filter, said bafiie comprising a portion positioned in front of the filter to receive the major part of the unapplied spray and a laterally extending portion to support the baflle on the hood.

WALTER E. NAUGLER. 

